On Demand
The Leonard Lopate Show Archive
October 2004
Policies of Deceit
Friday, October 29, 2004
Nation columnist Eric Alterman examines the political consequences of presidential lies, using four major examples of deception from the past 50 years in his new book, When Presidents Lie. Then, Rock and Roll performer and producer Genya Ravan reflects on 40 turbulent years in the music business in her memoir Lollipop Lounge: Memoirs of a Rock and Roll Refugee. And Greg Palast, BBC television correspondent and a contributor to The Washington Post and Harper’s, shares his investigations into voting irregularities and the upcoming election.
Surviving Separation
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Over the past 17 years an estimated 14,000 children have been kidnapped and forced to fight for the Lord’s Resistance Army in Northern Uganda. As part of this week’s Underreported series, Angelina Atyam, an activist for the kidnapped children discusses the separation and reunion with her daughter. Then, James Watt from the Metropolitan Museum of Art joins us for a preview of the major exhibit, China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD. Next, John Leland looks into the origins style with his exploration of what it means to be cool in Hip: The History. And Francisco Goldman shares his new novel, The Divine Husband, set in 19th century Central America.
The Art of Politics
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Richard Gid Powers argues that the FBI’s failures surrounding 9/11 stem from a history of institutional practices that have long been established as the Bureau’s way of doing business. Then, legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden joins us to talk about his latest exploration of Mexican music: Land of the Sun. And we’ll hear from Stephen Mitchell about his new translation of what may be the oldest written story in the world: the Ancient Sumerian text Gilgamesh. Finally, cartoonists Steve Brodner and Jeff Danziger discuss the role of humor in political discourse, and share their thoughts on creating political art.
Paradise Lost
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
While many newspapers throughout the country are scaling back on their cultural coverage, The New York Times is expanding its cultural content. Joining us to discuss these changes are Jon Landman, Culture Editor for the paper, and Sam Tanenhaus, Editor of the Book Review. For his new album, Parades and Panoramas, Dan Zanes has recorded 25 of his favorite songs from The American Songbag--Carl Sandburg's 1927 collection of songs about sailors, hobos, cowboys, and railway workers. Then, Curtis Richardson, director of the Duke Wetlands Center, and Dr. Azzam Alwash, director for the Eden Again Project, discuss the ecological and economic devastation of the Mesopotamian marshlands—the wetlands of southern Iraq and Iran which some scholars believe is the location of the Biblical Garden of Eden. And Writer-performer Heather Raffo gives voice to the diverse concerns and realities of contemporary Iraqi women in the Manhattan Ensemble Theater’s production of Nine Parts of Desire.
The Last Season
Monday, October 25, 2004
Lakers coach Phil Jackson describes the team’s notorious 2003-2004 season in his new book, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul. Then, Paul Rudnick, Doug Beane, and Wendy Wasserstein join us for a discussion of the inaugural Tribeca Theater Festival. Created by the founders of the Tribeca Film Festival, the Theater Festival seeks to recognize and pay tribute to the downtown theater scene. Next, Stephen Elliott explores his ambivalent love affair with America’s electoral process in Looking Forward to It. And Jonathan Rosen, author of the critically-acclaimed novel Eve’s Apple, joins us to discuss his latest work of fiction: Joy Comes in the Morning.
In Good Taste
Friday, October 22, 2004
Gourmet magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Ruth Reichl, and Executive Food Editor, Zanne Stewart, have culled thousands of recipes from 60 years of scrumptious cooking for the new Gourmet Cookbook, a collection of over 1,000 classic and contemporary recipes. Then, filmmaker Peter Davis joins us to discuss the continued relevance of Hearts and Minds, his look at the war in Vietnam. The film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1974. Now, 30 years later, the film has been restored and re-released. Finally, Glenn Close stops by to show her support of WNYC on the last day of our Fall Fundraiser. And we’ll ask her about some of her recent projects in Hollywood and on Broadway.
Life in the Kalahari
Thursday, October 21, 2004
The Kalahari Bushmen have inhabited Southern Africa for more than 20,000 years. In this week’s Underreported feature, we talk to Kalahari Bushman Roy Sesana, Botswanan newspaper editor and translator Beate Kasale, and Rupert Isaacson, author of The Healing Land: The Bushmen and the Kalahari Desert. We’ll look at the current threats facing one of the world’s oldest living cultures, and find out why the Kalahari Bushmen are being forced off of their ancestral lands. Then, one of the most well-respected investigative journalists of our time, The New Yorker’s Seymour Hersh, joins us to discuss his work. His new book Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib, is a collection of his New Yorker articles from the past three years.
The Language of Politics
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
The Daily Show’s head writer, David Javerbaum, offers a satirical look at the workings of American democracy with America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. And word maven Patricia T. (You Send Me) O’Conner reflects on some of this political season’s most prevalent words. Call 212-267-WNYC.
Top of the List
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Nina Zagat previews the best of New York Dining with the 2005 edition of the Zagat Survey’s New York City Restaurants. Then, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Alexander Payne (Election and About Schmidt) takes a tour of California wine country with his latest film, Sideways. He joins us today with co-writer Jim Taylor, and actor Paul Giamatti, the film’s star.
Georgia On My Mind
Monday, October 18, 2004
George Carlin is notorious for making the world reconsider the 7 words you can never say on television. He shares his latest insights into the power and politics of language in his new book, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? Then, President Jimmy Carter joins us to discuss his new novel, The Hornet's Nest. A work of historical fiction, the book is set in the deep south during the Revolutionary War. It’s the first work of fiction ever written by a US President. We’ll also get his thoughts on the Presidential race.
What'd I Say
Friday, October 15, 2004
We’ll look back at the life and legacy of Ray Charles with Mable John, the former director of The Raelettes, and Billy Vera, the author of many of the liner notes of Ray Charles’s albums. Then Jeremy Irons discusses his role opposite Annette Bening in Being Julia. Set in 1930s London, the film looks at the passion and drama of a life lived on and off stage.
Measures of Success
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Staff writer Philip Gourevitch is covering the Presidential campaign for The New Yorker. He joins us with an analysis of the debates, and a look at the final two weeks of the race. Then, actor Sean Astin shares his personal experiences on the set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and describes how the films changed his life. And Variety editors Dade Hayes and Jonathan Bing deconstruct Hollywood’s growing fixation on box office success in their new book, Open Wide.
Language of the Land
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Alvin and Larry Ubell, the self-appointed "Gurus of How-To," discuss the nuts and bolts of home repair. Next, Courtney Angela Brkic describes recovering remains for a UN-contracted forensic team in Bosnia, and recovering her own family history along the way. Then, Aaron Lansky describes his successful quest to collect and preserve millions of volumes of Yiddish history and literature. His new book is titled Outwitting History. Finally, Rebecca Busselle takes an in-depth look at the formative years Paul Strand spent photographing the Southwest.
Prescribing a Remedy
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalists Donald Barlett and James Steele criticize the state of America’s health-care system in Critical Condition: How Health Care in America Became Big Business--and Bad Medicine. Next up, Senegalese writer and director Ousmane Sembene. He’s considered one of the most influential filmmakers in sub-Saharan Africa. Then, Ron Nyswaner, author of the screenplay for Philadelphia. His memoir explores a passionate, tumultuous gay love affair in Blue Days, Black Nights. Finally, Russell Banks shares his new novel, The Darling. The book’s narrator reflects back on the radicalism of her personal and political life as she fled the FBI and moved to West Africa because of her involvement with the Weather Underground.
The Past Tense
Monday, October 11, 2004
Max Frankel revisits one of the most notoriously tense moments of US history in his new book, High Noon in the Cold War: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Abelardo Morell experiments with the notions of outside and inside space in his new book of photographs, Camera Obscura. Media critics Anthony Lappé and Stephen Marshall of the online Guerrilla News Network criticize mainstream news, and offer some important lesser-known stories in True Lies. And Jonathan Sarna examines 350 years of Jewish history in the New World in his new book: American Judaism.
Sustainable Living
Friday, October 08, 2004
Paul Ehrlich from Stanford’s Department of Biological Sciences warns that overpopulation, overconsumption, and political and environmental complacency threaten the world’s stability in their latest book, One with Nineveh. Then, Sarah Messer shares the 300 years worth of history she found built into her New England home in Red House: Being a Mostly Accurate Account of New England's Oldest Continuously Lived-In House. And Grammy and Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Cy Coleman talks about his upcoming performance at The Regency. His trio will play Coleman’s well-known standards, such as "Witchcraft" and "The Best Is Yet To Come," as well as songs from his new musicals.
Graphic Violence
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Chief curator Brian Wallis and director Willis Hartshorn of the International Center of Photography discuss their current exhibit of Iraqi prison photographs from Abu Ghraib, Inconvenient Evidence. Then, as part of our continuing Underreported series, we’ll hear from journalist Alex Bellos about some of the unexpected aspects of Brazilian soccer. We’ll hear about the politics of the soccer leagues, and why some players are transferring to far-off places like the Faroe Islands and Estonia. Next, Author M.G. Vassanji draws on his experiences growing up as an Indian in Kenya in his latest novel, The In-Between World of Vikram Lall.And Julian Rubinstein investigates a world of bank heists, ice hockey, and Transylvanian pelt smuggling in his Eastern European true crime book: Ballad of the Whiskey Robber.
The Man Behind the Curtain
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
John Fund of The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, examines the systemic sloppiness that he argues leaves America vulnerable to voter fraud in Stealing Elections. Then, George Friedman, the founder of a private global intelligence agency that advises Fortune 500 countries, news agencies, and even the US government, reveals his perspective on the motivations behind current US foreign policy in America’s Secret War. Next, Nick Flynn shares his experiences with homelessness—from his father’s life on the streets to his own work in shelters—in his memoir Another Bullshit Night in Suck City. Finally, director Richard Eyre and actress Claire Danes discuss their new film, Stage Beauty.
A Safe Bet
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Bob Schieffer, moderator of CBS’s Face the Nation since 1991, looks back at 50 years worth of memorable broadcasts with some of the world’s biggest newsmakers. Then, Kay Redfield Jamison studies the symptoms and side effects of exuberance—from creativity to risk-taking. And at age 30, Amy Fisher has found happiness as a columnist, wife, and mother. In her new memoir, If I Knew Then, she looks back at her affair with Joey Buttafuoco when she was 16, and her fateful decision to shoot his wife. Finally, Phil Gordon. A two-time World Poker Tour champion, and the co-host of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, he offers some advice to aspiring card sharks in Poker: The Real Deal.
Now is the Winter of Our Discontent
Monday, October 04, 2004
Journalist Jon Lee Anderson was on the ground in Baghdad during the US invasion of Iraq. In The Fall of Baghdad, he recounts the complex reactions that inhabitants of the city had to the invasion. John Nichols, Washington correspondent for theThe Nation, investigates the life of Dick Cheney in Dick: The Man Who is President. Poet Claudia Rankine confronts contemporary culture in her visual essay Don't Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric. And Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) discusses his starring role in Richard III at the Public Theater.
Blood and Oil
Friday, October 01, 2004
Defense analyst Michael T. Klare warns that if America’s dependence on oil goes on unchecked, it’s likely that the US will find itself embroiled in wars in unstable and anti-American regions in order to feed its petroleum needs. Then, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni discusses her new novel, Queen of Dreams. The book follows the main character’s struggles to find her own identity by reconciling it with her Indian roots and her mother’s dream-telling powers. And we’ll talk to Joan Nathan about her Jewish Holiday Cookbook. The collection features Jewish menus from different countries—from Morocco to Russia to America—for each holiday, in order to show how Jewish food traditions have changed in different regions throughout the world.
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